Dom's Two Brothers
by raistss
Summary: An Inception/Blood Diamond/The Departed crossover. Cobol has attempted to injure Eames, Arthur, and Cobb. Saito has finally had enough and sent a newer, more deadly team into the mind of Jackson Cobol himself. But what happens when two of the team members have more problems than Cobb could ever have been prepared to handle? Rated T for STUFF.
1. Chapter 1 - Dom

A/N: Inspired by my love for these three movies. Set post-movie(s) and takes advantage of the fact that actual dates are not mentioned in either Inception or The Departed, and changes several details. If you don't like it, don't read it! Also, this probably will not make any sense unless you have seen Inception, Blood Diamond, and The Departed. The characters are all supposed to be a little different-looking, since they were all played by Leonardo Dicaprio and that would just be creepy for everyone involved if they looked identical. Aaaand I gave some of the Inception characters first and last names, so don't be too surprised when an 'Arthur Clarke' or someone else like that is mentioned.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these three movies, nor do I plan to profit from the sharing of this story. Posted solely for entertainment.

I'll shut up and let you read now.

* * *

April, 2000

DOMINIC COBB had just been chased through the streets of his hometown in LA by some of Cobol's men. He would have forgotten about the failed job if they hadn't gone after Eames literally a day after the team had performed inception. Five weeks afterwards, they went after Arthur. That was when both Saito and Dom had agreed that the company had gone too far - nobody even _thinks_ about hurting Arthur Clarke and gets away with it. Dom often had the kids watched by their grandparents as he stayed in a hotel not too far away, to make sure they were safe. He knew that Cobol Engineering was after him and wouldn't even think about James and Phillipa. That wasn't how they dealt with things.

As for Dominic himself, after he got home to his children, he had found it extremely difficult to find a decent job, even with his impressive resume. Eventually, he had gone back to dream-jobs; but only accepted simple and at least 65% legal ones. He never took a job that had a high chance of failure and would likely result in yet another pissed-off company wanting a refund. Saito kept all of the team members safe, even helping to pay their bills at times and visiting as often as possible. He was a busy man, but he made sure to show just how grateful he really was. Now that Cobol had threatened three of his favorite people, he was angry.

Saito and Dominic both agreed that something had to be done, and the two of them had an extremely elaborate plan for what exactly to do. But first, they had to find two people to fill in for Eames and Ariadne. Eames was entirely too busy to be involved, and Ariadne had left college once already, causing her to miss out on a lot.

Dom had picked up a handful of magazines and newspapers, and had gone through two hour's worth of information before stumbling across two promising men. The first article was by the very well-known Maddy Bowen, who had traveled to Sierra Leone and written about Van De Kaap and their blood diamonds. But what caught Dom's interest was her description of the mercenary and smuggler himself, Daniel Archer. He fit the description of an ideal point-man. She did not state whether he was alive or dead, but Dom had the feeling that he was supposed to be dead, and wasn't. He saved the article, deciding to contact Maddy about it.

The second article that caught his attention was about an ex-Massachusetts state police officer, William Costigan, Jr. The 27-year old had won the highest possible award for his work undercover against the Irish-American mobster, Frank Costello. He'd quit police work after he obtained his award and identity, and Dominic knew just how difficult finding work afterwards would be for him, no matter how sparkly his resume might be.

With these two men in mind, Dom started hunting for information. He found Maddy's phone number, and managed to dig up contact information for Staff Sergeant Dignam, who Costigan had worked for and, according to the article, the man had been the one to recommended the award in the first place.

First, he called Maddy Bowen.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know that was short. My chapters tend to be either really short or really long. Sorry about that. "D


	2. Chapter 2 - Danny

A/N: Chapter two! I'm on a roll with this one, huh? Anyways, enjoy~

* * *

DANNY ARCHER knew he'd be dead soon. The blood-stained sand sifted through his fingers, and he rested his head against the rocks behind him. He watched the sun setting as his heart slowed. Everything went black, quite peacefully. Not five minutes later, he was jolted back awake (alive) and surrounded by panicked people. His eyes didn't focus, but Danny felt the burning pain in his side and heard someone screaming in agony - who he realized was himself, but that was the last thing he noticed once he felt a syringe being  
jabbed into his arm.

A week later, Danny found himself waking up in a hospital. His left side and chest were bandaged, and he was lying in an extremely uncomfortable bed. He tried to push himself up but stopped as the movement pulled at his damaged muscles. As his senses  
adjusted, he realized he wasn't actually in a hospital - or Africa, for that matter. The room was a light blue, with most of the medical supplies a hospital would have, but otherwise was just a bedroom.

He realized someone was sitting next to him and he turned, not really surprised to see Maddy sitting there, smiling in relief. She looked, for lack of a better word, exhausted. Danny cleared his throat, trying to say 'hello' but only coming out with a croak and 'lo.' Maddy shook her head, grabbing a glass of water from the dresser drawer next to the bed and handing it to Danny. The smuggler took it gratefully, drinking as slowly as he could manage. Once he finished, he tried speaking again.

"Hello, Maddy," was all he said, his voice hoarse and rough from disuse. (And, of course, screaming his lungs out.)

"Hello yourself, Archer," she replied, grinning. "You probably want to know what's going on." Danny nodded, his expression serious. "Well, the doctors said that the bullet fractured a couple ribs and almost punctured your lung, but somehow got to your stomach instead..."

Maddy paused, glancing at the smuggler. "You're lucky to be alive, Archer," she said, softly.

"Am I?" Danny asked, his voice quiet. "Maybe I wanted to die there. What exactly am I supposed to do now, huh? I'm a wanted criminal. People know me."

Maddy sighed, rubbing her temples. "Archer...you _are_ dead. I published the article last week. This is your second chance," she said. She gazed at him, sadness in her eyes. Danny turned away, unable to bear the look she was giving him.

"But how does a grown man just throw away his identity like that and expect to go on? I haven't got any money, and I sure as hell don't have a driver's license or background information, here, where ever we are. How does a dead man live, Maddy?"

"We're in Boston," Maddy said, quietly. She didn't answer his question, though, as her phone rung. She answered it quickly, not wanting to finish the conversation. Danny listened to her responses on the phone, curious.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Mr. Cobb, right...What do you want to know about Archer?" Danny sat up quickly, ignoring the protest of his muscles.

"A job offer? Are you sure? I mean, he could be dead for all I know." Both looked confused, glancing at each other with the exact same expression.

"And just what proof do you have that he is, in fact, alive?"

"You just follow your beliefs, huh? That's awfully inconvenient. Are you sure you aren't some person who's after him?"

"And why should I trust you, hmm?" As Maddy heard the response, her eyes widened. Danny raised an eyebrow, feeling left out.

"O-oh. That's some pretty illegal stuff right there. And for Proclus Global? That's the largest..." Danny didn't recognize the name, but he had an idea of what the other man might be talking about.

"Wait, couldn't you get more than just money as payment?"

"Like, could the leader - Mr. Saito, right - couldn't he, say, erase someone's criminal history or even create a new identity for them?" Danny blinked. Did he hear that right?

"Alright, so he could. I trust you now. Could you hold on for a second?" She covered the microphone on the phone, and explained the job offer to Danny. "He's a dreamer, Danny. He goes into people's dreams and steals their secrets. They get paid big bucks by some of the highest-paying companies in the country for it, and he's offering a job for you. Said he read my article and that he needs someone like you to help him on the field. Their employer can guarantee you a safe spot in this country - nobody will ever know that you were a smuggler. What do you think?"

Danny's mind reeled at what he'd just heard. What was the catch? Was it a trap? He couldn't be sure. "Well, I don't have any other choice, do I? Ask if we can meet in person."

Maddy nodded, made the request, and told him her address. They talked for a couple more minutes about the offer, then she hung up. She smiled at Danny, and he managed a weak smile back.

He was interested in this Mr. Cobb.

* * *

It was three days later, when Dominic made it to Boston. He'd been relieved to hear that Maddy lived near Billy Costigan. Travel was expensive, even with the hefty paycheck he received. Her house was relatively large, and had been painted sky blue with white trim. He rang the doorbell, and the door was opened literally two seconds afterwards. Maddy greeted him, guiding him through the roomy house.

Dom hadn't expected to find Danny Archer looking extremely sheepish in a makeshift hospital bed. He sat in the chair next to the smuggler, raising an eyebrow. "What happened to you?" He hadn't meant to sound accusing, but it came out that way. He winced, and thought, _good job, Dom, way to make a first impression..._

Danny scowled a little. "I got shot. I hope that doesn't make this whole meeting entirely worthless, bru." Dominic was pleasantly surprised by his accent. He wasn't actually very familiar with South African accents, despite having stuck around the area. And being chased in Mombasa, often. He wasn't very proud of that.

"No, no. It shouldn't affect your performance too much, since you'll be in a dream. As long as you aren't squirmy," he joked. Danny just looked at him blankly. Dom felt his mood going downhill. This smuggler was too serious, which was just ridiculous because Dominic was pretty sure he was the most serious person he'd ever met.

"How can I be sure that your employer will go through with his payment?" Danny asked, his voice quiet but serious.

"I can personally guarantee that he can and will. I mean, I was suspected of murdering my wife - which I did not do - before I accepted his first job offer. Now look at me! He paid, alright." Danny nodded, his expression thoughtful.

"Alright, bru. I accept your offer, but..." Danny trailed off, thinking. "I might not be very pleasant to work with." Dom smirked at that. "And I'm not quite in the best working condition yet."

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to recover. On my last job we spent a month planning everything out before the actual extraction, and that was just a one-level dream." Danny looked a little confused, but Dom decided to wait until later to explain.

Dom glanced at his watch. "Oh, I've got a meeting in twenty minutes...I've got to go. When do you think you'll be up and moving again?" Danny glanced over at Maddy, and she rolled her eyes. "The doctor said he'd be out in about two weeks."

"Good, then. I'll send someone then - Wednesday would be best. You'll know when they're here." He shook Danny's hand. "Good to meet you, and welcome to the team." He smiled at Danny, who looked a little overwhelmed. Maddy led him back out the door, and he headed to his meeting with Sean Dignam.


	3. Chapter 3 - Billy

A/N: Last chapter of the prologue. Putting this story on hiatus for a while, though...

* * *

BILLY COSTIGAN held the medal in his hands, running his thumb over the material slowly. His mind, however, was elsewhere. If he had been six inches closer to the door of that elevator, a bullet would have gone straight through his head. But, Sullivan happened to be the one standing there; and even though Billy had told him he was going to kill him, that was certainly not what he had meant. Billy had shot Barrigan out of reflex, defense, and pure paranoia. Brown had found him standing in that elevator, momentarily paralyzed from the shock of having killed someone with his own hands, as if seeing countless other people die hadn't been enough for him. Billy managed to explain to Brown that Sullivan was the rat, and truthfully told him that Barrigan killed Sullivan and that he'd shot Barrigan out of self defense. But it didn't feel like the truth to him.

Everything after that was mostly a blur, but he could remember the most important details. Dignam had recommended him for his award, then offered to let Billy move into his guest room. Madolyn told him about their son, and they agreed to raise him; however, neither wanted to be in a serious relationship, so they decided to just remain friends and sort it all out once the child was born.

Billy had just finished moving his few belongings into the room. He'd gotten rid of the majority of the things in his old apartment, not wanting to look at them anymore. He kept the pictures, though. Four hours earlier, he'd overheard Dignam - or Sean, as he called him now, grumbling about having to meet someone, but the other man had been out of the door before Billy could even say good-bye. That always made Billy nervous, because he wanted to say good-bye to everyone he loved (that was left) before they died, and whenever he didn't get the chance to say it, he'd start to panic and think they were going to die soon. That was the only time that his hands would shake, though he'd never admit it anyone.

Sean had a short work day today, so he would be home in an hour, but Billy ran out of ways to entertain himself two hours ago. He sat idle, his thoughts turning dark, like they always did when he was bored and alone. Billy remembered finding his mom's Oxycontin on the night of his first full-blown panic attack. He hadn't been trying to stop the pain - he'd tried to kill himself. That was one thing he never told anybody, ever. The knowledge that he did that, though, was sometimes too much to bear, and he'd just go mute for the rest of the day.

* * *

When Sean did come home, he brought with him another person. Billy stared at Sean expectantly, and to say that the visitor looked a little uncomfortable would be an understatement. He was the same height as Billy and looked a little similar, but his hair was longer and slicked back, and his face more clean-shaven. He wore a simple black and pastel blue suit, which accented his blue eyes.

Sean cleared his throat, embarrassed. "This is the guy I had an appointment with...He uh, he has a job offer he'd like to discuss with you." Billy could tell those words had been rehearsed, but stepped forwards nevertheless. The man introduced himself.

"I'm Dominic Cobb. You can just call me Dom, if you prefer." He held out his hand, and Billy took it. He was a little surprised at how firm Dom's grip was, since the man was rather scrawny. "I'm sure Sean told you my name already, but I'm Billy Costigan." He forced a smile, then drew his hand back into his pocket as soon as Dom let go. Dom smiled back, but it was genuine. Billy felt a little guilty then, and Dom smirked to himself. The kid was so vulnerable.

Sean led everyone into the living room and scurried back into the kitchen, ordering a pizza. Billy and Dom both took a seat, and Dom began to explain.

"I read about you in a magazine," he began,"and you seem like a perfect fit for this job. It's basically going into the target's life, gathering information about them and someone close to them, then using that to adopt the appearance and behavior of the person closest to them, in order to influence their subconscious." Billy blinked, his eyes wide.

"It's not as difficult as it sounds," Dom replied. "I know I use a lot of big words..." Billy nodded slowly, then thought for a moment. He asked, "What will I get out of this?"

"Well, it's a high-paying job, and if you're good at it you can continue in this line of work for the rest of your life. It's extremely rare and difficult, so we're still getting overpaid." Dom chuckled. "They really do underestimate what knowledge can give you these days."

Billy nodded, deciding he'd give it a shot. "Alright, I'll take it. What do I need to do?"

Dom held out a small piece of paper, and as Billy took it, he explained. "That's the location we'll be working at. Next week, everyone will gather there and we'll start training, as well as explain everything. My number's there, too, if you need anything." He smiled encouragingly at Billy, and stood up to leave. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Billy."

The younger nodded enthusiastically, having realized what a lucky person he was. "You too," he responded, and Dom left with a smile on his face.


End file.
